Sec. 23. Any domestic stock life insurance company may become a mutual life insurance company and to that end may carry out a plan for the acquisition of shares of its capital stock by amending its articles of incorporation and complying with the following requirements:
(a) Such plan shall be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the policyholders, present and voting at a meeting called for that purpose. For the purpose of this section a quorum shall consist of at least ten per cent (10%) of the policyholders of such company. Each policyholder whose insurance shall have been in force for at least one (1) year prior to such meeting shall have one (1) vote, regardless of the number of policies or amount of insurance he may have with such company. Notice of such meeting shall be given by mailing from the principal office of such company at least thirty (30) days prior to the date set for such meeting in a sealed envelope, postage prepaid, addressed to such policyholders at their last known post-office addresses. Voting shall be by ballot, in person or by proxy, or by mail under the direction of inspectors appointed by the commissioner and in accordance with such other regulations as he may prescribe. Such inspectors shall have the power to determine all questions concerning the verification of the ballots, the ascertainment of the validity thereof, the qualifications of the voters, and to canvass the vote. They shall certify to the commissioner and to the company the result of such election. All necessary expenses incurred by the commissioner or by the inspectors appointed by him shall be certified by him to and paid by the company.
(b) Such plan shall be submitted to and approved by the commissioner. The commissioner shall not approve said plan unless in his opinion the rights and interests of all policyholders are preserved. In carrying out said plan a company may acquire any shares of its own stock by gift, bequest or purchase. Any shares thus acquired shall be held in trust for the policyholders of the company as hereinafter provided and shall be assigned and transferred on the books of the company to three (3) trustees who shall hold in trust and shall vote them at all company meetings until all the capital stock of such company is acquired, when the entire capital stock shall be cancelled, and thereupon, the company shall be and become a mutual life insurance company without capital stock. Such trustees shall be appointed and vacancies shall be filled as provided in the plan adopted under the provisions of this section. Such trustees shall file with the company a verified acceptance of their appointments and declarations that they will faithfully discharge their duties as such trustees. All dividends and other sums acquired, after paying the necessary expenses of executing said trust, shall be immediately repaid to said company for the benefit of all who are or may become policyholders of said company and entitled to participate in the profits thereof, and shall be added to and become a part of the surplus earned by said company and be apportionable accordingly as a part of said surplus among said policyholders.
Formerly: Acts 1935, c.162, s.162.